Biografie von Joseph B. SMITH (1798-1876)

Birth place: NYC

Death place: Camden, NJ

Addresses: NYC and Brooklyn, 1798-1876

Profession: Marine and townscape painter

Exhibited: Brooklyn AA, 1862 ("Steamboat Pacific")

Comments: Known for his view of John Street Methodist Church, NYC, painted in 1824 and published as a lithographic print in 1844 and 1868. He also made views of other churches and a view of the Sing Sing Camp Meeting (1838). Smith is also known for his paintings of ships and marine scenes, made in partnership with his son, William S. Smith. Their paintings, though not always signed, can be identified by the unique rendering of the American flag which appears in every one of their works. Their partnership was dissolved when William went to fight in the Civil War, and Joseph moved to the Camden area. Groce & Wallace speculated that P.C. Smith (see entry) was probably Joseph's brother.

Sources: G&W; Howell, Joseph B. Smith, Painter"; Stokes, Iconography, I, 344; NYCD 1824-28; Brooklyn CD 1852-61; Portfolio (June 1952), 232-33, and (July 1943), 262; Dunshee, As You Pass By, plate V; info. from BAI, courtesy Dr. Clark S. Marlor; A.J.Peluso,Maine Antique Digest,March 2001.